What We’ve Been Thinking About

Essays & Musings

Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.

Midweek Minis, the early June edition

June 3, 2015

It’s another edition of the midweek minis. This time we have three AAR reviewers, Caz, Maggie, and Dabney, sharing the short scoop on seven books and one series. Have you read…

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Pitch Perfect 2. I liked it. Here’s why.

May 25, 2015

I just returned from seeing Pitch Perfect 2 with my 19 year old daughter. We both enjoyed it thoroughly. I, however, am in the minority in my social media feeds….

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The Second Half of the First Season of Outlander is almost over. We have thoughts.

May 22, 2015

Today AAR’s Melanie–who is all caught up on the show–shares her thoughts about this season of Outlander. She watches the show each week with her sister, Natalie. Here’s their take:…

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Carolyn Crane tells all (OK, some) about Behind the Mask

May 15, 2015

I am not going to even bother to pretend I am anything but a Carolyn Crane fan. I have enjoyed the hell out of all four of her Associates books. I…

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Midweek Minis

May 13, 2015

This week, in Midweek Minis, three of AAR’s reviewers share short takes on six books. In an effort to make these mini-reviews consistent with our long-form reviews, we’ve added a sensuality rating for each book….

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A Guest Pandora’s Box: Rose Lerner’s Sweet Disorder

May 8, 2015

Hello everyone and welcome to the fourth of our AAR blog columns. The basic idea is that we choose a book every month and have a discussion about it. We’re…

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Midweek Minis

April 29, 2015

This week, in our new column Midweek Minis, five of AAR’s reviewers share short takes on nine books. We assess five contemps, two historicals (one set in post Restoration London), one steampunk, and…

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A Guest Pandora’s Box: Thoughts on Justified

April 24, 2015

Earlier this year, I asked Twitter for suggestions for great TV. Many in the romance community suggested Justified. This show, which just concluded its six series run, stars Timothy Olyphant…

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Midweek Minis: the RITAs, Part Two

April 22, 2015

The RITA nominees, the highest awards of distinction in romance fiction, are out. (The entire list is here.) We’ve reviewed many of the books nominated this year. (A list of all…

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Wanted: Love and Death on the Small Screen

April 17, 2015

My husband and I just spent a riveted month watching Justified, the FX show starring Timothy Olyphant as a modern day U.S. Marshall in rural Tennessee. I am feverishly counting the…

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Midweek Minis: the RITAs, Part One

April 8, 2015

The RITAs, the highest award of distinction in romance fiction, were announced last month. (The entire list is here.) We’ve reviewed many of the books nominated this year. (A list…

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A Guest Pandora’s Box: Carolyn Crane’s Against the Dark

April 6, 2015

Hello everyone and welcome to the third of our AAR blog columns. The basic idea is that we’re going to choose a book every month and have a discussion about…

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